Hillary Gausch Reporting:
It was the Friday night before Christmas and a holiday crowd was wandering the Capital complex. It was a mild evening and snow in big lazy flakes was falling through the street lights and powdering the crowd.
Mueller had just made his final report to a closed session of the House and Senate but the session had leaked like a sieve and half the reporters in town were gathered outside the Capitol building when the politicians began coming out.
Mueller had explained, with elaborate substantiation, that the Russian effort to influence the election had indeed been massive and sophisticated. They had employed an army of propaganda professionals (many unemployed since the collapse of the communist empire in eastern Europe) and they had mastered the subtle persuasiveness and enveloping presence of emerging social media.
In effect the Russians had lied to everybody in America about everybody else in America and almost everybody in America had believed them.
As Mueller spelled out his findings the legislators began to see that they had been led astray, that the low opinions they had developed of their colleagues were terribly distorted. They came to understand that their opponents were not all incredibly stupid and/or crooked.
The reporters had heard the leaks and they also understood the gist of the report. As they mixed with the Senators and Congressmen the crowd began breaking apart into small groups. There was a sense of relief and even joy. The venomous atmosphere of the previous two years was lifting.
I came across Kellyanne Conway and Judy Woodruff who were sharing an embrace.
“I’m so sorry,” said Kellyanne. “We thought you were … “
“We thought so too,” said Judy. “Only we were the other way round.” She made a little circular motion with her finger tip.
They laughed and renewed their embrace. “Thank God for Mueller,” said Kellyanne.
I too could feel the joy. I moved on and found Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell standing together and laughing softly.
“We’ve just been silly,” said Schumer, shaking his head.
“Just a couple of silly old men,” said McConnell.
I’m sure I saw a damp eye or two.
Under a streetlight a group of carolers were singing “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” Adam Schiff and Ted Cruz, arm in arm, had joined the group and were lending their voices.
